Robert Burns wrote the lyrics that inspired the traditional New Year's song “Auld Lang Syne.”
Burns sent a version of the poem to the Scots Musical Museum in 1788, describing it as an old song he had heard from an elderly man. The familiar words combine older Scottish verses with lines Burns collected or adapted. “Auld lang syne” is commonly understood as “old long since,” referring to former times and remembered friendships.
The melody now associated with the song became widely established during the nineteenth century. Although it is especially linked with New Year's Eve, the song is also used at farewells, graduations, memorials, and other endings.
Many English-language performances shorten or rearrange the verses, and pronunciation varies by region. The Scottish phrase, rather than Burns's authorship alone, is what gives the song its distinctive identity.